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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Entertainment
Hollie Richardson, Ellen E Jones, Phil Harrison and Simon Wardell

TV tonight: too much Tucci on the telly? Never!

Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy.
Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy.
Photograph: Production/BBC/RAW Television/2021 CNN, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy

8.20pm, BBC Two

Because there is no such thing as too much Tucci on the telly (he is currently stars in BBC One drama, Inside Man), the adored actor returns with another series of his foodie tour of Italy. He’s in Venice tonight, where he washes down breakfast with a glass of white wine at 8.30am, then struggles with a cuttlefish’s inky sac while cooking a risotto. Hollie Richardson

Frozen Planet II

8pm, BBC One

David Attenborough guides us deep into the frozen heart of Antarctica, where many surprises await. We discover the island hangout for same-sex albatross couples and meet the tiny but fierce snow petrel that wields projectile vomit as a weapon. Plus what are these alien-like structures hidden beneath the surface of an ice-covered lake? Ellen E Jones

Karen Pirie

8pm, ITV

Is it a coincidence that after Karen (Lauren Lyle) quizzed the three initial suspects in the Rosie Duff murder case – the historian, the medic and the artist – one of them got bumped off? She puts her foot down on the accelerator to get answers, which involves finding crucial evidence that “went missing” back in 1996. HR

Just Jokes

9pm, Dave

Kemah Bob on Just Jokes.
Kemah Bob on Just Jokes. Photograph: PR IMAGE

“I’m famous for making white people uncomfortable when I sing, act or dance,” announces “openly Black” comedian Sophie Duker in this very funny hour celebrating Black comedy. She’s joined by Dane Baptiste, Ola Labib (“Comedian by night – and day!”), Thanyia Moore, Big Zuu, Jason Forbes, Kemah Bob (“I’m from Texas – I would say thank God but turns out racism is also here”), and Darren Harriott. To mark Black History Month, they share anecdotes on growing up and breaking into comedy. HR

The Ranganation

10pm, BBC Two

This determinedly upbeat topical chatshow returns, although it might struggle to find much good cheer among the ominous auguries of autumn 2022. Still, this week Romesh Ranganathan is joined by the always engaging Alex Brooker – and his ever-present focus group – to slice and dice the week’s news. Phil Harrison

Everyone Can Rap

10.50pm, ITV

As part of ITV’s celebration of Black History Month, this intriguing one-off invites three members of the public to try rapping. Can this endlessly flexible art form – able to be witty, angry, cathartic and more – help them express themselves? Veteran south London rapper Youngs Teflon is on hand to help guide their flow. Graeme Virtue

Film choice

Ain’t Them Bodies Saints, 9.01pm, Great! Movies

David Lowery’s next film is fantasy spectacular Peter Pan, but he built his reputation on understated dramas such as this 2013 film, a delicate, Malick-esque love story. After Casey Affleck’s Bob gets sent to prison for shooting a police officer, his lover Ruth (Rooney Mara) raises their daughter alone, with only Keith Carradine’s ambivalent father figure to lean on. Then Bob escapes from jail, and all their futures are thrown into doubt. There’s a stillness to the film that belies the outlaw plot, as unarticulated but life-changing emotions envelop the couple. Simon Wardell

Queen & Slim, 10.45pm, BBC Two

Daniel Kaluuya and Jodie Turner Smith in Queen & Slim.
Daniel Kaluuya and Jodie Turner Smith in Queen & Slim. Photograph: Universal Pictures/Allstar

Daniel Kaluuya and Jodie Turner-Smith make a highly engaging pair of criminals in Melina Matsoukas’s effervescent road movie. The inadvertent killing of a white, possibly racist cop while on a first date speeds up the “getting to know you” part of Ernest and Angela’s relationship as they flee Ohio for New Orleans. The serious nature of their situation is balanced by the giddy newness of adventure; their offence gaining iconic status in the Black communities they pass through and are welcomed by. SW

Live sport

London Marathon: 8.30am, BBC Two About 50,000 competitors take to the streets of the capital, including elite runners Mo Farah, Kenenisa Bekele and Joyciline Jepkosgei. Coverage continues on BBC One at 9.25am.

Racing: Prix de L’Arc de Triomphe, 1pm, ITV From ParisLongchamp.

Premier League Football: Man City v Man United, 1pm, Sky Sports Main Event The derby from Etihad Stadium. Followed by Leeds v Aston Villa at 4pm.


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